The Urbanist has reported on the rezoning concepts unveiled for Seattle’s 2024 Major Comprehensive Plan Update, which will guide growth in the city for decades to come. We’ve also published an op-ed by contributor Ryan DiRaimo arguing that the City of Seattle should be setting higher housing growth targets and extending its planning horizon farther into the future to avoid coming up short on housing as has happened in the past. Now we want to share with readers how to provide public comment on the Comprehensive Plan at a critical moment in its development.
At this point, if you visit the One Seattle Plan Engagement Hub about 500 participants have provided 362 comments on the current scoping phase. In a growing city of over 762,000 residents, that number represents a tiny drop in an ocean of Seattleites. This means that what you write is likely to be read — and taken into consideration — by key policymakers. The old adage that the squeaky wheel gets the grease will apply in this case, as it has so many times in the past.
Comments on the current “Shaping the Plan” phase will be accepted by midnight, August 22nd, meaning that even if the whole idea of a Comprehensive Plan Update is still new to you, you have time to get up to speed and spread the words to others who care about Seattle’s future.
Step 1: Learn about the plan and process
Don’t despair if this whole Major Comprehensive Plan Update sounds foreign and strange to you — the City of Seattle has put in extra effort to helping the public understand plan and engage with the process. If you find overviews helpful, a good place to start is a six minute video created by OPCD that explains what a Comprehensive Plan is, why it matters, and how you can get involved.
